Sweet Relief
by ABrighterDarkness
Summary: Bruce felt himself flush and darted a glance to his left, towards the large pier, and back to her with a somewhat bashful shrug. He wasn't entirely sure what to make of this territorial, possessive side of him. He couldn't blame it entirely on Hulk, he was man enough to admit that a good percentage of it was purely Bruce Banner. ONE SHOT


**Author's Note:**

**Written for The Melting Pot's Christmas in July.**

**Prompt:**

**Pairing: Bruce Banner/Hermione Granger**

**Location: Bournemouth, UK**

**Summer Word Prompt: Air Conditioning**

**As always, I own nothing.**

**I hope that you enjoy!**

**Always,**

**ABD**

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Sweet Relief

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It was early enough in the morning that the rush of beach-goers had yet to descend with the sun having only just risen and Hermione had been eager to take advantage of the sun, the soothing sounds of the waves, and a good book. Stretched comfortably on her stomach over the small blanket that was just big enough to keep her head and torso off of the invasive sand but allowed her toes to bury into the comforting warmth, she sunk fully into her battered but well-loved copy of Pride and Prejudice.

At one point, she moved to settle comfortably onto her back, stretching languidly and pointedly ignoring the growing crowd of people vying for bits of sand to claim for the day. Not even the screeching toddler a few meters away was going to interrupt her bubble.

Not. Happening.

It wasn't until a masculine hand settled a familiar paper cup from the coffee shop up on the main strip in the sand beside her shoulder did she allow her attention to deviate. Hermione glanced to the side and smiled warmly at the new arrival before digging her bookmark out from under her back and marking her place. Closing the book, she pulled herself upright.

"Good morning," she chirped, picking up and carefully taking a small sip from the paper cup.

"I still don't understand how you can have a hot drink in the middle of summer," Bruce shook his head teasingly.

Hermione just smirked and shrugged, "Yet you indulge me anyway." His responding smile was shy enough to turn her smirk into a fond smile that she hid behind her cup. "Thank you, by the way. You didn't have to bring me tea, you know."

"I know," he agreed, gaze alert and drifting around the busy area before returning to scan her swimsuit clad form appreciatively and then quickly away again. "You didn't grab any on your way down this morning so I figured you might be missing your morning cup."

"You spoil me," she teased, leaning forward to press a kiss to his cheek. Casually lacing her fingers with his, Hermione stretched comfortably back down onto her blanket. "Anything planned for today?"

"Keep you company until the heat forces me back indoors?"

"Oh, please, it's not even supposed to make it to 25 today," she laughed. "Even New York is warmer than it is here."

"Ah, but in New York I live in this building that has this wonderful thing called _air conditioning_," he retorted with a wry grin. "Plus the crowd here…"

Hermione rolled her eyes at the first but offered an understanding smile and a squeeze to his fingers at the second, "Well keep me company and if it gets to be too busy we can find something else to entertain ourselves. We can always come back in the evening once the crowds thin out a bit."

It was only another half hour before she could feel the discomfort when he shifted. Hermione cracked her eyes open just enough to study him without drawing attention to her perusal. He still sat next to her though he had stretched his long legs out in front of him with the arm on his far side stretched behind him as a brace. His shoes and socks had been kicked off and set beside him. He was eying a rowdy group of people not far away with a barely concealed glare. The hand still holding hers tightened slightly.

Hermione opened her eyes fully and intentionally pushed herself into a long, stretch to draw his darkening attention away from his glaring and back to her. She hid a smirk when his gaze snapped back sweeping from her pointed toes over her body to meet her gaze. Instead, she smiled warmly as she sat up and collected the few belongings that she had brought with her. Bruce frowned slightly and tilted his head in question.

"You ready?" She asked simply.

"Yeah, let's go," he agreed, grabbing his shoes and getting to his feet. Bruce carefully helped her to her feet and gathered her blanket, draping it haphazardly over his forearm, his other hand rested warmly on the sun heated bare skin at her waist. There was an undertone to the gesture that Hermione wasn't quite able to place and she glanced up at him in question. Before she could think further on it he had stepped further into her space and the kiss he pressed firmly to her lips surprised her in its intensity despite being a relatively chaste affection. Hermione smiled dazedly once he broke the kiss and sliding his hand from her side to the small of her back to guide her towards the car. She could have sworn that she saw him shoot another dark glare over his shoulder as they left, but she couldn't say to be sure.

It was only a short drive back to her well-hidden little tucked away cottage. Once inside, Hermione eyed the tense, controlled way that Bruce was holding himself with curiosity. She collected and flicked her wand and activated the cooling charm she had created. It wasn't quite air conditioning but Bruce always seemed to appreciate it. Placing her wand back into her bag, Hermione studied the man quietly for a moment.

He was standing stiffly, tensely just inside the door with his hands shoved deeply into the pockets of his pants, staring intently out of the window with an expression that said he really wasn't actually seeing anything at all. But his shoulders weren't hunched like they normally got when something weighed heavily on him, rather they were tightly squared. He had been fine when he had shown up to join her earlier but something had put him on edge before they had left.

Hermione set her book, keys, and bag on the table before approaching him and slipping her arms to wrap around his waist. She squeezed the embrace gently and tilted her head upwards to study his expression, "What's wrong, love?"

Bruce slowly withdrew his hands from his pockets to wrap his arms around her, she noted that his hands were shaking and she frowned in concern. "I…They…I'm alright, Hermione."

"Hmm," she smirked in amused disbelief. "I don't think so but I can't help if I don't know what's going on." His arms tightened around her shoulders and he drew a deep breath before tearing his eyes from the window to meet hers. Hermione was admittedly surprised to see his eyes oscillating between the sweet familiar brown and vibrant green and suddenly the tension in his frame made sense. She began running her hands soothingly over his back. "What is it?"

Hermione was surprised when, instead of answering the question, his lips were pressed to hers in another intense kiss. A small sound of surprise escaped her at the same time her hands curled tightly into the back of her shirt to hold him tightly to her. That kiss, however, didn't stay chaste as the one at the beach. Instead it was a molten tidal wave rushing over the couple.

Before she could fully register the motion, she found her back pressed into the cushions of the sofa with Bruce's solid weight cradled between her thighs. Hermione reached to trace his jaw with her finger tips, slowly drawing back from the kiss to study him.

"I'm sorry," he said, voice soft through his heavy breathing.

She pressed another short, sweet kiss to his lips and shook her head slightly, "You have nothing to apologize for."

"I didn't mean to…well to jump you," Bruce said sheepishly.

"I'm certainly not complaining," she smiled. "Though I would like to know what brought it on?"

"I…we…I might've," he fumbled before letting his forehead fall forward to rest against her chest, her hands immediately moved to card affectionately through his curly hair. "I might've heard some…comments made about you…I-he-_we_ didn't really appreciate it."

"What was being said?" Hermione asked, curious as to what would bring both Bruce _and_ Hulk to her defense. She could feel his face heat against her skin and continued to sooth her fingers through his hair, waiting until he was ready to speak.

"It was a bunch of college age guys with a gorgeous woman sunning herself just a few feet away," he began, voice slightly annoyed, but she sensed that his annoyance wasn't with her. "What do think was being said?"

"Oh," she was all she managed, feeling her own face beginning to heat. And then…wait. Blinking in surprise she looked down at the top of his head, wishing she could see his face instead. Before she could ask, Hermione felt his body shudder slightly over hers and inhaled sharply when he slowly worked open mouthed kisses from the low neckline of her swimsuit up over her chest, trailing a line over her collar bone and to her neck before pausing at the sensitive spot just behind her right ear.

"I had this overwhelming need to just…" his words trailed off and he raised his head to kiss her again. Heated. _Possessive_. Oh Merlin. Hermione tightened her fingers of one hand into his hair, her other slipping between them to glide down his chest to grip the fabric at his ribs to keep him near. Despite having some intense snogging sessions previously, the current by far being the most, Bruce had never permitted it to go further than that. She knew and understood his fears and had no reason or need to complain. So she wasn't remotely surprised when he slowly drew the heated kiss to a close.

Hermione opened her eyes to see him watching her, his nose nudged hers softly and his lips ghosted over hers. "I want you," he murmured, lips brushing against hers with the words.

She studied him intently for a short moment. "You have me, Bruce. Are you sure…?"

"You are the one thing he and I seem to consistently agree on," he admitted before pressing his lips more firmly against hers once more. He shifted his weight to rest on one arm while the other hand ghosted over her body before retracing the path with a steadier pressure that drew a soft moan from the witch. His clothes and her suit were quickly discarded in a pile on the floor as the couple sunk into learning each other's bodies.

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Hermione was sprawled comfortably over him, head pillowed on his chest, legs intertwined with his own, and the fingertips of her left hand drawing idle shapes over his torso. Bruce had one arm draped low around her waist, hand possessively splayed over her hip. He felt odd. Good, really, _really_ good. But odd. After his lab accident and Betty, he had been absolutely sure that he wasn't meant to have this any longer. Hulk had ensured that he was too scared of his own unpredictability to even entertain the thought. Yet here, with her, Hulk hadn't even tried to push forward. Hadn't seemed to have any inclination to hurt her.

He was drawn from his confused thoughts by delicate fingers tracing his cheek bone. Bruce automatically leaned his face into her soft touch, tugging at the throw on the back of the couch and draping it over her back when he noticed her small shiver that the coolness in the room had settled against her bare skin. "What's on your mind?" she asked, voice soft and affectionate.

"I just…" he blinked in overwhelmed revelation, "I just didn't think I'd be able to have this again."

He let her pull his head gently towards her and happily sunk into the tender kiss. When she settled back onto his chest, head still tilted to be able to see him as they spoke. "What's different this time? Do you know?" she asked curiously.

"You," he said with a small shrug. "He and I…we don't agree on a lot. But we seem to agree on you."

"What happened earlier?" Hermione asked, hesitantly. "You were warring pretty hard against each other?"

"Like I said," he shrugged. "Neither of us really enjoyed hearing what those guys were saying about you." Bruce watched a pale flush rise over her cheeks and identified a hint of flattered pleasure in her expression and pressed a kiss to her forehead affectionately. "As for the warring…well…He wanted me to do something about it. Didn't seem to think that I was making my attentions known well enough."

Her hand smoothed over his cheek, sliding back to comb through his hair at his temple, "While I'm certainly not complaining, _at all_, you have nothing to worry about my loves. I know exactly where my heart belongs."

Bruce tightened his hold around her waist and closed his eyes against the rush of thoughts and feelings, his own and those belonging to his alter ego, swirling around in his mind. _My love__**s**__._ Really? His own and Hulk's confused surprise, affection for the little witch draped over him, and overwhelming relief in the face of acceptance almost made it hard to breathe. He was brought back from his thoughts by a gentle but firm press of lips against his own. Bruce quickly disregarded the gentleness and pressed forward with the new intensity that the day had developed between them. He felt a deep rumble of approval in his chest that wasn't entirely his own and felt his face heat but found his mild embarrassment calmed by her body pressing closer into his own and the small smile that he felt against the kiss.

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They ended up back at the beach. They walked the pier hand in hand for dinner. It wasn't somewhere that Bruce or Hermione would gravitate to on their own but Hermione had insisted that it was worth having the tourist experience at least once and he certainly had no intention of denying her. It was crowded though and the crowd made even the mild temperatures of the evening feel that much more stifling. She noticed his discomfort immediately, she always did somehow, and drew an interesting pattern over the back of his hand with her fingertip. Bruce immediately felt cool rush over him and sighed in relief.

Dinner was easy going. Conversation flowed as easy as it always did and even the silences, few that there were, felt peaceful. He wasn't quite sure the last time he felt this level of peace outside of her presence. When they left the pier, his hand resting on the small of her back was grounding. They reached the beach itself, they quickly removed their shoes and valuables to secure in Hermione's small bag, which she assured him had as many protections from elements as it did from everything else. Before they began walking, however, Bruce tugged on her hand to pull her to him and dipped his head to kiss her with the same thorough, yet chaste, intensity as earlier.

Hermione grinned up at him when he drew back, "Made your point then, loves?"

Bruce felt himself flush and darted a glance to his left, towards the large pier, and back to her with a somewhat bashful shrug. He wasn't entirely sure what to make of this territorial, possessive side of him. He couldn't blame it entirely on Hulk, he was man enough to admit that a good percentage of it was purely Bruce Banner. But she didn't seem to mind if that smile was any indication so he didn't feel overly inclined to analyze it just then. There would be time enough for that later.

The sun was setting and the sky was an array of color. They had walked a ways, the pier only distantly visible against the colorful horizon. The waves were calmly lapping at their feet as they walked the shoreline hand in hand. There was something simplistically beautiful about the moment that an idea struck him and he smiled. He used their linked hands to tug her around against him, shifting his grip as the moved and his other hand gently gripped her free hand, pressed a kiss to it before pressing it against his shoulder. His arm wrapped around her, hand resting on the small of her back and slowly began moving them in a simple dance.

He smiled when she looked up at him, eyes sparkling in delight. Eventually the movements slowed and then stopped. Both of his arms wrapped snuggly around her waist, and hers around his. His chin resting against the crown of her head while her head rested against his chest, her ear over his heart.

Even the personal cooling charm she had placed on him was no match for the rush of comforting warmth that rushed over him during the peaceful moment. And really, who needs air conditioning when you love a witch who's got a knack for cooling charms? And who needs cooling charms when the same witch is only going to set you, willingly, aflame?

That was heat he would happily handle.

Hulk agreed.


End file.
